Which Triumph TR to buy: the TR2 to TR6 compared

By British Classic Cars Last reviewed June 8, 2026

The Triumph TR roadsters are one of the great runs of affordable British sports cars, but they are not all the same car. The line stretches from the rugged, side-screen TR2 of 1953 to the muscular, six-cylinder TR6 of the 1970s, and a TR2 and a TR6 feel almost a generation apart to drive and to own. This guide explains the differences in plain English and helps you choose the right one.

It is worth saying first what these cars have in common. Every classic TR, from the TR2 to the TR6, shares the same basic recipe: a separate chassis, a front engine driving the rear wheels, two seats, and an open body with no luxuries. That formula is why they are simple, rugged and well supported. What changes across the range is the body, the engine and how civilised the car is to live with.

A blue Triumph TR6 with the top down, front three-quarter view on a road — The Triumph TR6, the best-selling and most recognisable of the classic TRs. It is the usual recommendation for a first TR, but it is only one of six very different cars in the range.Photo by helena.40proof / CC BY-SA 2.0

The side-screen cars: TR2 and TR3

The earliest TRs are the side-screen cars, so called because the side windows are removable plastic screens that clip into the cutaway doors rather than winding down. These are the most vintage-feeling Triumphs.

The TR2 (1953-55) started it all and made its name as the cheapest production car of its day able to top 100 mph. The TR3 (1955-62) refined it and, in 1956, became the first British production car with front disc brakes. Both use a torquey 2-litre four, both are basic and characterful, and both are now genuinely collectable. The TR2 is the rarest and most vintage; the TR3, especially the common wide-mouth TR3A, is the easiest side-screen car to find and the natural entry point to the breed.

A red Triumph TR3 roadster with the hood down, parked at a kerb — A side-screen TR3. The TR2 and TR3 are the most vintage-feeling TRs, with removable side-screens instead of wind-up windows, and the most characterful way into the range.

The Michelotti cars: TR4 and TR4A

In 1961 the TR4 modernised the formula. The Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti gave it a crisp new body with wind-up windows, a proper heater and wind-down door glass, a huge step in everyday civilisation over the side-screen cars, while keeping the same four-cylinder mechanicals beneath.

The TR4A that followed added the single most important under-skin change of the range: independent rear suspension, which transformed the ride and handling. Together the TR4 and TR4A are the sweet spot for anyone who wants the traditional four-cylinder character with modern comforts, usually at a lower price than the six-cylinder cars.

A British Racing Green Triumph TR4 roadster with the top down, front three-quarter view — The Michelotti-bodied TR4. With wind-up windows and a modern body over the proven four-cylinder mechanicals, the TR4 and TR4A are the under-rated value sweet spot of the range.

The six-cylinder cars: TR5 and TR6

The last classic TRs swapped the four for a 2.5-litre straight-six, and this is where the performance lives. The rare TR5 (1967-68) came first, with Lucas fuel injection, 150 bhp and the existing TR4A body, a quiet 120 mph car of which only 2,947 were built, which makes it the rarest and most valuable mainstream TR.

The TR6 (1968-76) took that injected six, wrapped it in a square-jawed Karmann restyle, and became the best-selling TR of all and the last of the traditional separate-chassis British sports cars. For most buyers the TR6 is the obvious six-cylinder choice: muscular, usable and superbly supported for parts.

A primrose-yellow Triumph TR5 with a hardtop, front three-quarter view on a show field — The rare fuel-injected TR5, the most prized six-cylinder car. Its 2.5-litre injected six went on to power the best-selling TR6 that closed the classic TR line.Photo by kitmasterbloke / CC BY 2.0

How to choose

A few simple questions usually point to the right car:

On a budget, and want the full experience? A four-cylinder TR4 or TR4A gives you a usable, modern-bodied TR for less than the sixes.
Want a true 1950s vintage feel? The side-screen TR2 or TR3, with the TR3A the easiest to find.
Want six-cylinder muscle and easy ownership? The TR6, the most numerous and best-supported of all.
Want rarity and investment? The fuel-injected TR5, the scarce car that collectors prize most.
Driving an American import? Many US-market cars are the carburettor TR250 (the TR5’s American sister) or federal TR6s, which are more affordable but less powerful than home-market injection cars.

Across every model, the advice is the same: the separate chassis is the thing that makes or breaks a TR, so buy the soundest, most honest car you can rather than the cheapest, whichever model you choose.

So which TR is best?

There is no single answer, which is part of the appeal. The TR6 is the default recommendation for usability and value, the TR3 is the characterful classic, the TR4A is the under-rated sweet spot, and the TR5 is the collector’s prize. Decide on your budget and how you will actually use the car, and the range almost chooses for you.

Read the full guides to each car: the TR2, TR3, TR4, TR5 and TR6, all part of the classic Triumph range. For the wider rivalry that shaped these cars, see MG, and for the eras they belong to, British classic cars of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

More photos

A red Triumph TR2 with the hood up, front three-quarter view on a show field — TR2 (1953-55): the original, the cheapest 100 mph car of its day, and the rarest and most vintage of the line.Photo by SG2012 / CC BY 2.0

A red Triumph TR3 roadster with the hood down, front three-quarter view — TR3 (1955-62): the volume side-screen car and the first British car with front disc brakes, with the common TR3A the easiest to find.Photo by quinet / CC BY 2.0

A white Triumph TR4A roadster with the top down at a show — TR4A (1965-67): the Michelotti car with independent rear suspension, the most refined of the four-cylinder TRs.Photo by Cars Down Under / CC BY 2.0

A red Triumph TR5 roadster with the hood down at a show — TR5 (1967-68): just 2,947 built, the rarest mainstream TR and the first with the fuel-injected six.Photo by Cars Down Under / CC BY 2.0

A black Triumph TR6 being driven with the top down — TR6 (1968-76): the best-selling TR and the last of the separate-chassis British roadsters, the usual choice for usability and parts.Photo by Rutger van der Maar / CC BY 2.0

A white Triumph TR5 parked beside a red Triumph at a show — Two TRs together: the family shares a recipe of separate chassis, front engine and rear drive, but the cars span more than twenty years of development.Photo by Andrew Bone / CC BY 2.0

Frequently asked questions

What does TR stand for on a Triumph?

TR stands for Triumph Roadster, sometimes given as Triumph Racing or Triumph Roadster depending on the source, though Triumph itself was never entirely consistent about it. In practice the TR badge simply marked Triumph's line of two-seat sports cars, which ran from the TR2 of 1953 to the TR8 of the early 1980s. The classic, traditional cars are the TR2 to TR6; the wedge-shaped TR7 and TR8 that followed were a complete break in style and engineering.

Which Triumph TR is the best to buy?

It depends on what you want. For the cheapest way into six-cylinder muscle and the best parts supply, the TR6 is the usual choice and the most numerous. For a true vintage 1950s experience, the side-screen TR2 and TR3 are the most characterful. For modern comforts like wind-up windows on a four-cylinder budget, the TR4 and TR4A make sense. And for rarity and investment, the fuel-injected TR5 is the rarest and most prized car. There is no single best TR, only the best one for your budget and how you plan to use it.

Which Triumph TR is the most usable day to day?

The TR6 is generally the easiest to live with: it has wind-up windows, the strongest performance, the best parts supply and the most specialist support. The TR4 and TR4A are close behind, with the same modern Michelotti body and wind-up windows but four-cylinder power. The side-screen cars, the TR2 and TR3, are the most demanding to use regularly because of their side-screens, firmer ride and more basic weather equipment, though many owners use them happily.

Which Triumph TR is the rarest and most valuable?

The fuel-injected TR5 is the rarest mainstream TR, with only 2,947 built, and it is one of the most valuable as a result. The earliest long-door TR2s are also scarce and sought-after. At the more affordable end, the TR4, TR4A, TR6 and the American carburettor TR250 were all made in much larger numbers, so they cost less to buy and are easier to find.